Croke Park

... grounds in Dublin, Belfast, Thurles, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Castlebar used for Gaelic sports to be part of a proposed bid by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), said to be worth €250m (£212m) to the nation's economy.The list includes Dublin's CrokePark (pictured) - the spiritual home of Gaelic Games - which is Ireland's largest arena at 82,000 and as such could potentially be the venue for the final.The IRFU has submitted a feasibility study of hosting the tournament to the Irish g...

... Varadkar is also reported to have said that a successful bid could potentially boost the economy by as much as 800 million euros.
Their bid will have the backing of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), meaning stadiums such as the 82,300-capacity CrokePark would be available. There are also 10 other grounds that are as big as Munster’s Thormond Park.
The Irish Rugby Football Union chief executive Philip Browne, who has been working on the bid since 2011, added: "We see this is as having...

... Space for the redevelopment has been created by a realignment of the pitch and a new access podium over the adjacent railway line.
However, the capacity will be well below that of Murrayfield, the Millennium Stadium, Twickenham, the Stade de France and CrokePark, which the national team is using while Lansdowne Road is being rebuilt.
With the old site surrounded by residential properties it put constraints on the design of the new stadium. So should they have built on a new site rather than go...

... grass and artificial grass fibres. It looks and feels like natural grass but offers three times the durability. It is an evolution of the Eclipse Hybrid Turf currently in use at Welford Road.
County Turf have also worked with the likes of Eden Park and CrokePark as well as recently installing three training pitches for Real Madrid's first team.
CEO Steven Vaughan explained:
"The best commercial option would have been to opt for an all-weather surface but we have opted for the preferred choice...

Musgrave Park, the Cork home of Munster, is to be renamed Irish Independent Park in a new 10-year naming rights agreement with Independent News & Media.
The partnership agreement will come into effect next season and will assist in creating permanency for Munster Rugby in Ireland's second largest city, including assisting with the re-development of the grounds.
The ground has played host to five Munster fixtures this season, welcoming crowds for three RaboDirect PRO12 fixtures, one friendl...

... revenue streams, alongside the sale of naming rights to the new stadium as well as additional corporate hospitality.
The development will strengthen Dublin as a sporting hub, with the RDS adding to the 82,000 capacity Aviva Stadium and the 50,000 capacity CrokePark both within a five kilometre radius.
RDS CEO Michael Duffy said: "The new development will lift us from a a capacity of 18,500 to 25,000 and that will benefit Leinster, the Horse Show and Dublin as a sporting city.
"We are a Members...

Sheffield Eagles have discovered they are not the preferred option for tenancy of the new Olympic Legacy Park to be opened next year.
Sheffield Eagles met with representatives of Olympic Legacy Park Ltd on Monday this week. A club statement said that “whilst the news and decision is not the preferred option of Sheffield Eagles, the club will work with all parties to ensure the club is back in Sheffield and at the Olympic Legacy Park in 2018."
The decision made by the Olympic Legacy Park Ltd wi...

Exeter's Sandy Park will once again host the final leg of the Rugby Europe 2016 Grand PRIX 7s series. The 2016 leg of the tournament will take place on July 9 and 10 - with competing teams confirmed in due course.
Thousands of spectators packed into the Devon venue for this year’s hugely successful event, which brought together Europe’s top 12 countries for two days of sevens action.
Speaking about the news, Exeter Chiefs chief executive Tony Rowe OBE said: “As a club we're delighted t...